Killing Canadian wolves is helping save caribou 🙌

If you’re still with us, that means you’ve made it to the middle of yet another week.

With that in mind, let’s all take a minute to grab a coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get another mid-week dispatch out the door.

Here's what's worth reading about so far this week:

• Wait…it’s working? - The Canadians are killing wolves to save caribou 🐺

• Chemicals in our deer - It’s as good as it sounds 🧪

• Elk hunters to the rescue - Two hunters save motorcyclist in accident 🚑

• 399 - out - The famous grizzly known as 399 goes to heaven 🐻

• A 12-year-old’s 14-pointer - Heck of a deer for this young lady 👏

• An ostrich-sized beat down - Watch as a kid’s field trip goes sour in ostrich altercation 🙈

A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW FOR SOME
KILLING WOLVES IN THE CANADIAN WEST HAS PROVEN TO BOLSTER CARIBOU NUMBERS

Despite achieving what they set out to do, Canadian wildlife managers today are in a tight spot. With incredible data to back it up, a recent study has credited our northern managers with increasing woodland caribou populations by over 50 percent since 2020.

And just how did they achieve such a feat?

By killing the very thing that is killing caribou.

And the very thing that is killing the caribou, is wolves.

And therein lies the rub.

Without any wild caribou left in the Lower 48, the Canadian and Alaskan herds are about all we have left of these majestic ungulates. As Canadian caribou populations experienced a precipitous drop of more than 50 percent since 1991, Canadian biologists have been working diligently to buck this alarming trend. In addition to improving local habitat, biologists made one big and bold recommendation that has since proven to help bolster caribou populations in western Canada.

And it worked…

🧪 High levels of forever chemicals found in deer prompt Maine officials to recommend against consumption. Well, just in case you picked up your rifle in order to save one trip to the chemically-laced grocery store, officials in Maine are warning against eating that field-to-table meat in some areas of the state. With reports of high levels of forever chemicals, also known as PFAS, found in whitetails and wild turkeys, the state has issued a “do not eat” advisory for two areas located in central Maine.

The two advisory areas are made up of approximately 5.5 square miles in Unity and Unity Township and 4.3 square miles in Unity, Freedom, and Albion. Both of these two areas are in addition to a larger 25-mile region in Somerset County, which has been under a Do Not Eat advisory since 2021. 

Officials are continuing to test flesh from animals in other areas at which point additional advisories could be issued.

🚑 Two elk hunters save a man they found trapped under a motorcycle. After swerving to avoid a herd of deer in the middle of the road, a 65-year-old Wyoming man found himself trapped beneath his motorcycle along a semi-deserted stretch of the Battle Pass through the Sierra Madre mountains earlier this month.

Fortunately for the injured rider, a pair of elk hunters happened to be passing through the area and miraculously spotted the man’s boot sticking out from beneath his bike. Pulling over to investigate, father and son elk hunters Jason and Ben Koperski, were reluctant to move the injured rider in fear of a possible spinal injury. After reaching the Carbon County Sheriff’s office, Jason turned to his on-X hunting app on his phone to determine their exact location, as the Sheriff’s office was unable to track the call due to poor cell service.

It took approximately 90 minutes for an ambulance to arrive where paramedics freed the victim’s leg and loaded him into a helicopter for transport to Fort Collins hospital. The victim sustained multiple broken bones and cut an artery in his back which necessitated 33 units of blood. 

According to the Cowboy State Daily, the victim is in good spirits but stated that it’s unlikely that he’ll ever ride again.

🐻 Grizzly bear 399 meets demise in vehicle collision. A local fixture in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, grizzly bear 399 succumbed to injuries sustained from a vehicle collision last week. The famous sow rose to prominence in the early stages of her 28-year life, raising her cubs each year along the roadways within Grand Teton National Park.

Developing something of a fan club over the years, 399 is credited with multiple three-cub litters and even one four-cub litter before bearing a single cub in her 27th year of life during the spring of 2023. She was struck and killed last Tuesday along the Snake River Canyon and leaves behind the single cub which authorities believe was not involved in the collision.

Push made for harsher penalties for killing hunting dogs in SC: After a Berkeley Co. man’s hunting dog was shot this month, he wants the public to be aware of what protections — or lack thereof — these animals face in South Carolina. Read more at WCSC.

Maryland Hunters Harvest 125 Black Bears for 2024 Season:  The 2024 harvest consisted of 52 male and 73 female bears. Total harvest from each county was 80 from Garrett County, 24 from Allegany County, 11 from Washington County, and 10 from Frederick County. The largest bear had a live weight of 650 pounds and was taken in Frederick County. Read more at Maryland DNR.

Maine Hunters Deliver Thousands of Meals through Game Meat Donations:  A single deer can provide meals for up to 200 people, underscoring the significant impact each donation has on local communities. With hunger affecting more Maine residents yearly, the program is a lifeline for many. Read more at Daily Bulldog.

Virginia landowners frustrated over rejected hound hunting regulation proposals: “My opinion of that decision is to say we are disgusted and landowners have been abandoned is an absolute understatement,” Chris Patton, member of the Virginia Property Rights Alliance, said.  Read more at 12 On Your Side.

A 12-year-old harvested this 14-point buck: The young lady harvested a 213-pound, 14-point buck about an hour into legal shooting time on Saturday from her family’s enclosed tree stand. Read more at Bangor Daily News.

Kansas game wardens rescue hunters trapped by wildfires: Five hunters and a dog were evacuated from the area amid smoke and ash from the fires. The hunters were rescued without injury with game wardens now turning to investigating the cause of the fires. Read more at KSNT.

DEC warns of 'Chronic Wasting Disease' found in NY deer: The New York State Departments of Agriculture and Markets and NYSDEC, in coordination with the Department of Health, Sunday announced a confirmed case of Chronic Wasting Disease at a facility in DEC’s Region 6 area. Read more at CBS6.

VIDEO // ^{_{SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN}}

🪶 How to get bullied by an ostrich on your class field trip. I’m not sure how he ended up in the field with that big ol’ bird, but that ostrich sure did curb-stomp his ass.

🍷 Bear helps itself to a nice glass of pinot grigio on the back deck. Like leaving milk and cookies for Santa Claus, watch as this black bear takes a load off and downs a nice glass of wine after a long day.

REWARDS // ^{_{TELL YOUR FRIENDS, GET COOL SH*T}}

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